Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS) has closed its tender offer to buy BigBand Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: BBND) and has appointed an exec who is familiar with both companies to run the unit that will operate Arris's newly acquired product line of edge QAMs and digital video gear. (See Arris Closes BigBand Buy and Arris Snaps Up BigBand .)

Rajive Dhar, most recently BigBand's SVP of corporate development and strategic planning, is joining Arris as VP and GM of the BigBand product division, reporting to Bruce McClelland, president of Arris's Broadband Communications Group.

Dhar likely played a sizable role in the BigBand-Arris deal. He joined BigBand in late 2009 after serving as the SVP of M&A at Arris, where he helped the company land a handful of acquisitions, including C-COR Inc., EGT Inc. and Digeo Inc. (See BigBand Acquires Arris's M&A Guy .)

"We will integrate BigBand into Arris as another product division," Arris SVP of Marketing and Business Development Stan Brovant tells LR Cable. "We'll be using the Arris brand in conjunction with BigBand's product names, but at this point there is no plan to change BigBand product names materially."

Arris and BigBand have some product overlaps, particularly in the area of edge QAMs, but Arris has no current plan to discontinue any Arris or BigBand products as a result of the merger. The companies also have some similar roadmaps for products not yet in production (possibly around Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP) products), and there are "some plans to bring those plans into harmony," Brovant says. (See Arris/BigBand Could Resurrect Modular CCAP .)

Dhar's appointment is the only personnel announcement Arris has made so far related to the BigBand acquisition. Brovant declined to comment on a report by Globes of Israel that BigBand's founders -- President and CEO Amir Bassan-Eskenazi and former CTO Ran Oz -- aren't staying on. He also declined to say how many of BigBand's employees will remain at Arris. (See BigBand Founders Ousted? )

"We've got an orderly transition plan in place," Brovant says.

But there will be a headcount reduction. Arris believes it can cut US$7 million in quarterly opex savings at the BigBand unit by the third quarter of 2012 as it completes its integration of two publicly traded companies. In addition to some expected layoffs, Arris will also look to get rid of redundant functions and facilities, simplify its sales force and streamline some R&D programs.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable